The "nootropic" you actually need to have a great mood, focus and energy levels is called a healthy gut. Poor gut health can contribute to: -Depression -Anxiety -Brain fog -Alzheimer's -OCD -Schizophrenia -Bipolar -ASD "I don't believe you" Fine. A) In a case report, a woman with bipolar 1 who had 10 psychiatric hospitalisations and tried many medications did 9 faecal microbiota transplants (FMT) over 11 months, using stool from her husband (no psychiatric history) as donor. Within 6 months of starting FMT: -Symptom-free from depression. -No mania after September 2017. -Remained completely symptom-free long-term (at least 5 years follow-up). -Discontinued all psychiatric medications (under medical supervision). -Lost 33 kg. -Went from being functionally disabled to running a small business and publishing two books. B) A landmark 2019 follow-up study found that 44% of participating children no longer met the diagnostic threshold for autism spectrum disorder two years after completing a specialized form of fecal microbiota transplantation. C) "We hypothesize that the degree of microbial alteration correlates with the severity of autism spectrum disorder". D) Probiotics help with irritability/emotional lability associated with neurodevelopmental conditions. E) Bipolar patients who took probiotics were 74% less likely to be re-hospitalized compared to placebo. F) A LOT of the mental health benefits from ketamine and MDMA come from modulations in the gut microbiome. G) Major depressive disorder (MDD) is VERY frequently associated with an imbalance in gut bacteria (specifically a depletion of beneficial strains like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium). H) In suicidal people there is a distinct depletion of anti-inflammatory species from the Firmicutes phylum bur also corynebacterium aurimucosum. I) Psychiatrists themselves have stated that "it’s reasonable to hypothesize that focusing on correcting gut dysbiosis rather than solely relying on pharmacotherapy might be advantageous in treating neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders". "George, gut health = mental health because most serotonin is produced in the gut". Not exactly. A) Serotonin in the brain is synthesized in neurons located in the raphe nuclei of the brain. B) LPS lowers extracellular serotonin in the hippocampus since it increases histamine levels that bind to H3 heteroreceptors located on the terminals of serotonin neurons. Activation of these inhibits serotonin release into the synapse → leading to lower extracellular serotonin levels in areas like the hippocampus. Gut health = mental health for many other reasons, such as the composition and function of the gut microbiome strongly influencing adult neurogenesis through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Gut health = Mental health, also because it greatly influences the immune system. So a dysfunctional gut = a dysfunctional immune system. In the top right one for example (25K people) SLE was found to be independently associated with BD. Also: -A Danish study based on the records of 7,704 people, found that individuals with SCZ have a 50% lifetime prevalence of autoimmune disorders and that conversely, given a history of autoimmune disorders, the relative risk for SCZ increases by 45% -A Swedish study reported an increased risk of affective, personality, and neurotic disorders among individuals hospitalized for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) -The kynurenine “shunt”. When the gut is inflamed (due to dysbiosis or LPS), an enzyme called IDO is activated. This leads to the overproduction of quinolinic acid, a neurotoxin that overstimulates NMDA receptors in the brain. This causes “excitotoxicity,” leading to anxiety, racing thoughts and so on. -Ammonia and microbial metabolites. Certain pathogenic bacteria and yeast (like Candida) produce byproducts like ammonia and acetaldehyde. If the gut barrier is permeable, these toxins enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier. This is of course, problematic since ammonia for example, interferes with astrocyte function. This quite literally makes you feel dumber since it physically slows down neuronal signaling. -Negative impacts on the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the main physical connection between the gut and the brain. Gut bacteria can release chemicals that stimulate this nerve to send “danger” or “distress” signals to the brain’s emotional centers, even if there is no external psychological stressor. -The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Once in the brain, these inflammatory markers activate microglia (the brain’s immune cells), which can disrupt the growth of new brain cells and damage neural connections, a hallmark of major depressive disorder. In animal models for example, candida-induced inflammation reduced cognitive clarity by 30%. -Acetaldehyde release Acetaldehyde can bind with dopamine in the brain to form substances called THIQs (tetrahydroisoquinolines), which are structurally similar to opiates. Now to be more correct what happens is that when acetaldehyde reacts with dopamine, it forms compounds like salsolinol (1-methyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) and THIQs are structurally similar to morphine-like alkaloids (opiates). For instance, tetrahydropapaveroline (THP) is a THIQ precursor to morphine alkaloids. Anyway. Here's what you need to know in order to improve your gut health. Thread🧵